by Ying Yang

Created on: April 07, 2011

Fundraising is an essential source of income for many non-profit and volunteer organizations, so it is important that fundraisers are interesting, well planned and involve as many enthusiastic volunteers as possible to maximize the potential returns. 

When planning a fundraiser, there are a few key things to keep in mind. First, what is the organization about and what are their values? What sort of people will support the organization? And of course, how much time and resources can you really afford to spend? Based on the answer to these questions, different organizations will suit using different fundraising methods. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking.

Fundraising Breakfast:

Get a group of volunteers to cook up goodies like pancakes, eggs and sausages and hot chocolate, and sell in a busy location like a university campus or public park. This is a particularly good opportunity for small organizations to work together to create a fundraising event larger than they would be able to do alone. For example, each small group of volunteers could provide one item on the breakfast menu and the funds raised could be divided equally. This helps to keep costs down but still creates great big event and gets many people involved.

Raffle Tickets:

Selling raffle tickets at sports or social events is an easy way to raise funds. Volunteer numbers can range from just a few to a large group depending on the size of the event. Prizes do not have to cost a lot of money as many organizations approach sponsors and local businesses for donations. Therefore, selling raffle tickets can give a very high return for little cost and labor.

Pub Quiz / Trivia Night:

This is a fun event that can raise funds through door sales and quiz entry fees, and is great teamed with the raffle ticket idea. The cost for organizing a pub quiz largely depends on how much the pub charges for a booking fee but this can be negotiated and possibly discounted. An advantage of this idea is that it is a really social event that provides a good platform for promoting your organization and encouraging more volunteers to get involved with your cause.

Clothes Swap / Garage Sale:

This is an event where people donate old clothes or household items they no longer want. The items are put on sale at cheap prices and all proceeds go to the organization. This event takes some time and effort to organize because people need to know about the event beforehand and have time to donate items. It also requires a suitable location and lots of volunteers to run the sale. However, this event has many social benefits as well as the fundraising. It brings the community together, and is a fun and environmentally friendly way to reduce the clutter in your house!

These are just a few of many possible fundraising ideas. With a little imagination and loads of enthusiasm, volunteers can do lots to help raise funds for their favorite organizations, and have lots of fun along the way.

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